CONSTRUCTION services firm Carillion remains upbeat about the future amid global uncertainty after it posted an 11 per cent rise in profits.

The company unveiled pre-tax profits of é50.2m on turnover of é1,847.3m and reported a strong order book for 2003 with new business and long-term contracts worth around é5bn over the next two years.

éOur commercial business order books are higher than at this time last year and we have already secured é700m of work this year across the group,é said chief executive John McDonough.

éWe also have a large pipeline of potential contracts, which we believe we are well positioned to secure in 2003.

éDespite the global uncertainty, the overall outlook in all our main markets, both in the UK and our international regions, remains positive with opportunities for further growth."

The firm, which maintains about a quarter of Britainés major roads and a fifth of its railways, has benefited from the governmentés Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme for transport and roadbuilding.

Mr McDonough added that in the UK, three sectors in particular - health, transport and defence é offer good prospects for growth, with é75bn of government investment in these sectors over the next 10 years.

The firm proposed a total dividend of 4.8p, up nine per cent from 2001.